Father
A father is the male parent of a family. In many cultures, the father is considered an essential element in raising a child of either sex to adulthood. In mainstream media "I'm Papa Smurf. I'm the head of a small group of people, and live in the forest with 99 sons and one daughter. Nothing weird about that, no, no...totally normal." : - said by Gargamel mimicking Papa Smurf's voice in the 2011 Smurfs movie. In mainstream Smurfs media, Papa Smurf serves the role of both a father figure and a leader to his little Smurfs. His fatherhood is mostly emphasized and recognized in the English version of the 2011 Smurfs movie, even as his enemy Gargamel mocks Papa Smurf by saying he is the father of "99 sons and one daughter". There are also other characters in the stories who appear as actual fathers or act in the role of fathers. Empath: The Luckiest Smurf stories In Smurf society in the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series, a male Smurf who becomes a Papa Smurf through the production of an offspring is expected to show the positive traits of an adult male Smurf, which include courage, strength of character, hard work, fidelity to his spouse and children, wisdom, patience, and uncompromising love. He endeavors to make sure that the village as a whole is running smoothly with the help of his fellow Smurfs and that it is well protected against any forms of danger. He helps the child to explore his own abilities while making sure he doesn't endanger himself or overstep his boundaries until he is certain the child is able to manage things on his own. He may also act in the role of a priest to call upon blessings and protection from Mother Nature and Father Time and to help his children understand the moral and spiritual consequences of their actions, instilling virtues of godliness such as purity, mercy, and charity. For young male Smurfs, the Papa Smurf gives them an example of masculinity that they can model themselves from, while for young female Smurfs, the Papa Smurf gives them an example of the type of male Smurf that they would want to marry someday. A Papa Smurf generally raises a child until he reaches 100 years of age, where at that point he is considered an adult Smurf and thus expected to be part of the village's functioning society as a member of it. At that age, young male adult Smurfs usually build their own house while young female adult Smurfs remain with their parents until they are married or until their parents pass away. Papa Smurfs are usually protective of their daughters and will not let any male Smurf around her age marry her until the Papa Smurf gives his approval. With the passing of Papa Smurf's generation of fellow Smurfs around 50 years after Empath's birth, he was given de facto parental control of 97 young male Smurfs with no female Smurf of his age to act as a Mama Smurf. Despite the lack of a maternal role model, Papa Smurf managed to raise the young Smurflings with cooperative help from the children until they were of a young adult age. Empath would become a Papa Smurf at 165 years of age with the birth of his daughter Psycheliana, whom he fathered through Smurfette. Eventually with the meeting of the Smurfettes on Smurfette Island, Empath's fellow Smurfs would also marry and become Papa Smurfs themselves. In Schtroumpf language, Pere Schtroumpf is the normal form used in reference to a Papa Smurf, with Grand Schtroumpf mostly used for a patriarch leader. Category:Roles